Roles & Responsibilities:
As a Kafka Cluster Engineer, you will be responsible for managing, maintaining,
and optimizing Kafka clusters and related technologies. Your focus will be to ensure
high availability, fault tolerance, and performance while handling large-scale data
streaming.
1. Kafka Cluster Management:
o Set up, configure, and maintain Kafka brokers for handling high-volume
real-time data streams.
o Ensure high availability, fault tolerance, and data durability of Kafka
clusters through effective architecture and configuration.
o Monitor and optimize Kafka cluster performance, troubleshooting issues
with brokers, producers, consumers, and partitions.
o Oversee cluster scalability, managing Kafka partitioning and replication
strategies to meet changing data demands.
o Ensure secure communication between Kafka brokers and clients using
encryption and authentication mechanisms like SSL and SASL.

2. Kubernetes & Containerization:

o Manage and orchestrate Kafka clusters using Kubernetes, ensuring
seamless deployment, scaling, and operations.
o Deploy Kafka and Zookeeper on Kubernetes clusters, leveraging
containerization tools like Docker.
o Configure Helm charts for Kafka and Zookeeper deployment, making
sure that configurations are consistent and scalable across environments.
o Implement robust monitoring and logging for Kafka services running on
Kubernetes, ensuring minimal downtime and rapid issue resolution.

3. Kafka Connect:
o Design and manage Kafka Connect for seamless integration of Kafka
with external systems, including databases, cloud services, and other
messaging systems.
o Configure and monitor Kafka Connect connectors to ensure reliable data
movement between systems.
o Troubleshoot and optimize connector performance, resolving integration
challenges as they arise.
o Implement and maintain custom Kafka Connectors as required.
4. Kafka Streams & Real-Time Data Processing:
o Implement Kafka Streams applications for real-time data processing,
including data transformation, aggregation, and enrichment.
o Design and build real-time data pipelines that support high-throughput,
low-latency data processing.
o Ensure data consistency and stream processing performance by
monitoring and tuning Kafka Streams applications.

5. Zookeeper Management:
o Manage Zookeeper clusters for distributed coordination and leader
election, ensuring that Kafka brokers are properly synchronized.
o Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to Zookeeper-based coordination
in the Kafka ecosystem.
o Ensure high availability and consistency of Zookeeper nodes, which are
crucial for the Kafka cluster's stability.
6. Performance Tuning and Optimization:

o Perform regular health checks and performance tuning of Kafka clusters,
brokers, consumers, and producers.
o Implement and configure retention policies, log compaction, and other
Kafka configurations to optimize performance.
o Monitor Kafka cluster metrics and logs using tools such as Prometheus
and Grafana to identify bottlenecks, optimize resource usage, and ensure
system reliability.
7. Security & Data Integrity:
o Ensure data privacy and integrity by implementing robust security
measures, including encryption, authentication, and authorization for
Kafka clusters.
o Set up access control using ACLs to manage permissions for Kafka
consumers and producers.
o Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to protect
the Kafka environment.

8. Incident Response & Troubleshooting:
o Respond promptly to production issues, performing root cause analysis
and taking corrective actions to resolve Kafka-related incidents.
o Implement proactive monitoring and alerting for Kafka clusters, ensuring
any performance issues or failures are identified early.
o Troubleshoot complex distributed systems issues related to Kafka,
Zookeeper, and Kubernetes.
9. Documentation & Knowledge Sharing:
o Document Kafka cluster architecture, configuration, and operational
procedures for internal reference and future improvements.
o Share knowledge of Kafka and related technologies across teams to
ensure smooth collaboration and foster a culture of continuous
improvement.